---
title: "Owner of Infamous Davos Bitcoin Car Gets Sensitive Over Crypto Criticism"
description: "After speculation from Davos-attendees, the owner of the mysterious Bitcoin-orange Mercedes at the elite Alpine gathering has come forward."
date: "2023-01-20"
modified: "2023-01-20"
authors:
  - name: "Noor Al-Sibai"
    job_title: "Senior Staff Writer"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/davos-bitcoin-mercedes"
categories:
  - "Bitcoin"
  - "Blockchain"
  - "Cryptocurrency"
  - "Future Society"
tags:
  - "crypto"
  - "davos"
  - "Mercedes"
  - "the digest"
---

# Owner of Infamous Davos Bitcoin Car Gets Sensitive Over Crypto Criticism

![After speculation from Davos-attendees, the owner of the mysterious Bitcoin-orange Mercedes at the elite Alpine gathering has come forward.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/bitdavoscar.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: \<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoX2LDPzwIg" target="\_blank"\>Blockchain Journal via YouTube\</a\>\</em\>*

## Mercedes-Bitcoin

Earlier this week, attendees at the World Economic Forum spotted a mysterious Bitcoin-branded Mercedes sports car parked near the event in Davos, Switzerland, which immediately drew criticism for its flashy display of opulence in the wake of last year's [devastating crypto crash](<https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/18/davos-1point4-trillion-wipeout-hits-crypto-industry-at-wef.html>).

Now, the owner of the vehicle has come forward — and he has a lot to say to his haters, [*CNBC* reports](<https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/19/davos-mystery-of-orange-bitcoin-car-revealed-and-owner-slams-critics.html>).

As it turns out, the coupe's proud owner is Michael Chobanian, the founder of the Ukraine-based crypto exchange Kuna.

"How is the crash related to my property?" he told the outlet. "I am \[in the\] crypto and finance industry for ten years. I am not selling anything, nor promoting."

"If someone made bad decisions and lost money," Chobanian added, "it's their fault and not my car's."

In other words, neither the Davos Bitcoin-mobile nor its testy owner are responsible for the 2022 crypto crashes. You heard it here first, folks.

https://twitter.com/DanyEid_/status/1615763277190930433

## Crypto Row

The Bitcoin-orange Mercedes, emblazoned with the currency's logo in the place of its German manufacturer's, has drawn both [accolades from crypto industry types](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoX2LDPzwIg>) and jeers from critics.

Critics were quick to point out that the car was one of the only [remaining callbacks](<https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/18/davos-1point4-trillion-wipeout-hits-crypto-industry-at-wef.html>) to the golden days of crypto at the gathering following a devastating year for the industry — and that it was ironically stationed near the so-called "Blockchain Hub," which had become to be known as Davos' "[Crypto Row](<https://jalopnik.com/a-bright-orange-mercedes-amg-gt-stands-sentry-on-former-1850000669>)" over the years.

## Placing Blame

While Chobanian's choice of parking location was interpreted as a symbol for the seeming death of the crypto industry, he said he parked there for a much more mundane reason, suggesting it was all one big coincidence.

"The car is there because this is the closest parking spot that I found," he told *CNBC*.

**More on crypto:** [*Harvard Finance Professor: Crypto Is "Magical Thinking" That "Infected Capitalism"*](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/harvard-professor-crypto-magical-thinking-infected-capitalism>)

## Author
At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/noorfromfuturism.bsky.social>)